Damping device, cooker, and device having damping structure

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a damping device, a cooker and a device having a damping structure, wherein the damping device is arranged between a main body and a cover body, comprising a rotary member fixed on the cover body; a fixed member fixed on the main body, the fixed member being a hollow body having openings at two ends, the rotary member being nested in the hollow body, one of the rotary member and an inner side wall of the hollow body being provided with a friction member, the other one being provided with an elastic piece; during the process of opening the cover body, the elastic piece is slidably fitted with the friction member and generates varying frictional resistance during sliding.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage application of PCT Application No.PCT/CN2018/107189. This Application claims priorities from PCTApplication No. PCT/CN2018/107189, filed Sep. 25, 2018, and CNApplication No. 201711216558.3, filed Nov. 28, 2017, CN Application No.201810014765.9, filed Jan. 8, 2018, CN Application No. 201810515639.1,filed May 25, 2018, CN Application No. 201810516299.4, filed May 25,2018, and CN Application No. 201820675962.0, filed May 7, 2018, thecontents of which are incorporated herein in the entirety by reference.

Some references, which may include patents, patent applications, andvarious publications, are cited and discussed in the description of thepresent disclosure. The citation and/or discussion of such references isprovided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure andis not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to thedisclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in thisspecification are incorporated herein by reference in their entiretiesand to the same extent as if each reference was individuallyincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of householdappliances, and specifically to a damping device, a cooker and a devicehaving a damping structure.

BACKGROUND ART

A household cooker (such as an electric rice cooker) generally comprisesa cooking body and a lid connected thereto through a rotary shaft whichis provided with a torsion spring; two torsion spring arms of thetorsion spring are abutted against the lid and the cooking bodyrespectively, and while being opened, the lid springs open under theaction of the torsion spring. In the prior art, a rubber damping blockis added at an opening structure of the lid for control in order toachieve smooth spring opening of the lid. However, the rubber dampingblock is susceptible to thermal expansion and contraction due toexposure to the ambient. After being used for a period of time at a hightemperature, the surface of the rubber damping block will be damagedbecause of lasting extrusion, as a result of which, the damping becomesineffective, and the lid of the cooker suffers from the problems such asnon-full-opening or jumping open. This leads to poor user experience. Inaddition, as the cooperation between the rubber damping block and thematching parts thereof takes place at the outer side, larger space needsto be occupied for their cooperation, thereby increasing the size of thecooker.

Generally, a cooking appliance such as an electric rice cooker and anelectric pressure cooker includes a cooking body and a lid rotatablyconnected to the cooking body by means of a rotary shaft onto which aplurality of torsion springs is sleeved. Two legs of the torsion springsabut against the cooking body and the lid respectively. In order toprevent the whole cooking appliance from jumping and shaking caused byan excessive elastic force of the torsion springs, a rubber dampingblock is usually arranged between the cooking body and the lid, suchthat the torsion springs and the rubber damping block jointly controlthe opening and closing of the electric rice cooker or the electricpressure cooker.

However, as the rubber damping block is susceptible to expansion andcontraction when heated and cooled, and the surface thereof will bedamaged due to lasting extrusion after being used for a period of time,the lid suffers from the problems of non-full-opening and jumping open,which results in poor damping effect and use effect.

All the damping devices in the market at present have disadvantages. Thefollowing is an illustration of the defects of the damping devices usedin cookers.

Currently, the lid opening structure of a cooker is mainly controlled bya spring and a rubber damping block. The control is achieved by therubber damping block at the lid opening structure of the cooker. Theexisting damping device used in a cooker has a complicated structure,and needs to cooperate with another supporting member that isinteracting with an outer casing in the process of opening and closingthe cover body, so that the outer casing is subject to stress andcontacts with the cooking body of the cooker to create a stress point.The existing damping device has a complicated structure as it includesanother supporting member, and thus occupies larger space.

The lid opening structure currently used in the existing electric ricecooker is mainly controlled by a spring and a rubber damping block.Because the rubber damping block is susceptible to expansion andcontraction when heated and cooled, and the surface thereof will bedamaged due to lasting extrusion after being used for a period of time,the lid of the electric rice cooker suffers from the problems ofnon-full-opening or jumping open, which leads to poor use effect.

On the other hand, the damper currently used generally does not have afunction of limiting, such that excessive displacement or greater angleof a movement will severely affect the damping structure, thusshortening its service life, and affecting the reliability and useeffect of the damper.

Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to addressthe aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above defects, the objective of the present disclosure isto provide a damping device, a cooker and a device having a dampingstructure, so as to solve such problems in the prior art as failure indamping effect of the rubber damper of a damping device after long timeuse, large space occupied by the rubber damper, short service life andpoor damping effect of the damping structure in the damping device,complex structure and oversize of the damping device, short service lifeand poor reliability and user experience of the damping device due tolack of a movement limiting structure.

The present disclosure provides a damping device, arranged between amain body and a cover body, comprising:

-   -   a rotary member, fixed on the cover body;    -   a fixed member, fixed on the main body, the fixed member being a        hollow body having openings at two ends, the rotary member being        nested in the hollow body, one of the rotary member and an inner        side wall of the hollow body being provided with a friction        member, the other one being provided with an elastic piece;        during the process of opening the cove body, the elastic piece        is slidably fitted with the friction member and generates        varying frictional resistance during sliding.

Preferably, the frictional resistance increases gradually during theprocess of opening the cover body.

Preferably, the friction member is a protrusion.

Preferably, the friction member is formed integrally on the rotarymember.

Preferably, the elastic piece is an outwardly protruding elastic sheet.

Preferably, the rotary member is fixed on the cover body by means of ahinge shaft, and is provided with a non-circular hole matched with theshape of the hinge shaft.

Preferably, the non-circular hole is D-shaped.

Preferably, the openings at two ends of the fixed member are providedwith sealing covers.

The present disclosure further provides a cooker, comprising a cookingbody and a lid hinged onto the cooking body, any one of the abovedamping devices being arranged between the cooking body and the lid.

Preferably, the lid is hinged onto the cooking body by means of a hingeshaft onto which the rotary member is fixed.

Preferably, the hinge shaft is D-shaped.

Preferably, a torsion spring is provided between the cooking body andthe lid to apply a force onto the lid in a direction of opening the lid.

The present disclosure also provides a device having a dampingstructure, comprising a damping structure, and a first body and a secondbody rotatably connected by means of a rotary shaft and provided with atorsion spring therebetween;

-   -   the damping structure comprises an outer casing and an inner        core nested in the outer casing, one of the inner wall of the        outer casing and the outer wall of the inner core being provided        with a protrusion and the other one being provided with an        elastic piece, a first end of the elastic piece being fixedly        connected to the inner wall of the outer casing or the outer        wall of the inner core, and a second end thereof being arranged        in a suspended manner;    -   the first body is fixed with the outer casing or the inner core,        and the second body being rotatable relative to the outer casing        by driving the inner core with the rotary shaft;    -   during at least part of the opening process of the second body        relative to the first body, the protrusion extrudes the elastic        piece and rotates in a direction from the second end of the        elastic piece to the first end of the elastic piece.

Preferably, the protrusion does not reach the first end of the elasticpiece when the second body is completely opened relative to the firstbody.

Preferably, the elastic piece is arranged on the outer casing, and theprotrusion is arranged on the inner core.

Preferably, the elastic piece is in an arc shape, and protrudes in adirection away from the outer casing.

Preferably, the outer casing is provided with an opening, the first endof the elastic piece being connected to a side wall of the opening, andthe second end being arranged in a suspended manner.

Preferably, the elastic piece is arranged on the inner core, and theprotrusion is arranged on the outer casing.

Preferably, the outer casing comprises a casing main body that has anopen end and is hollow, and an end cap that is arranged at the open endof the casing main body, a positioning stud being arranged at least atone of the bottom surface of the casing main body and the inner wallsurface of the end cap, and the inner core being sleeved on thepositioning stud after installation.

Preferably, the inner core is provided with first through-holes alongits height direction, and second through-holes are disposed in two endsof the outer casing respectively in positions corresponding to the firstthrough-holes. The first through-holes and the second through-holesserve for passage of a shaft, and the inner core and the shaft cannotrotate relatively.

Preferably, an outer wall of the outer casing is provided with a fixingmechanism used for fixing with a connector to be connected.

Preferably, the device is a cooking appliance, and one of the first bodyand the second body is a pot lid and the other is a pot body.

The present disclosure provides a damping device arranged between acover body and a main body; the damping device comprises an inner corean outer side wall of which is provided with a friction member, and anouter casing comprising a fixed member and a supporting member; theinner wall of the fixed member is provided with an elastic piece so thatthe friction member can be brought into contact with the elastic pieceto create damping friction; the supporting member is arranged at anouter periphery of the fixed member and comprises a first cantileverextending in a first direction from an outer peripheral wall of thefixed member and a second cantilever extending in a second directionfrom the outer peripheral wall of the fixed member.

Preferably, the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

Preferably, the fixed member has a cavity with two open ends, and theinner core can be arranged in the cavity of the fixed member.

Preferably, the fixed member and the supporting member are in aone-piece configuration.

Preferably, a deformation corresponding to the damping friction betweenthe friction member and the elastic piece matches a buffer forcecorresponding to the damping friction.

Preferably, the friction member of the inner core is a bump protrudingfrom the outer surface of the inner core.

Preferably, the inner core is fixed on the cover body by means of ahinge shaft, and the inner core has a D-shaped hole matching the shapeof the hinge shaft.

Preferably, the openings at both ends of the outer casing are providedwith end caps.

The present disclosure further provides a cooker comprising the dampingdevice illustrated above.

Preferably, the cooker further comprises a cooking body and a lid fixedthereto, wherein the lid is fixed to the cooking body by means of ahinge shaft to which the inner core is fixed.

Preferably, the hinge shaft is D-shaped.

Preferably, the cooking body is also provided with at least two limitingribs, and the supporting member can be inserted into a cavity formed byadjacent limiting ribs to limit the supporting member.

Preferably, the limiting ribs have a shape that matches the shape of thesupporting member, so that the supporting member can be inserted intothe cavity formed by the adjacent limiting ribs, and/or the limitingribs have a size that matches the size of the supporting member, so thatthe supporting member can be inserted into the cavity formed by theadjacent limiting ribs.

The present disclosure also provides a damping device comprising ahousing and an inner core which is rotatably arranged in the housing; alimiting portion is also arranged in the housing for limiting themovement of the inner core.

Preferably, the housing comprises a main body in a cylindrical form anda mounting portion connected to an outer wall of the main body.

Preferably, the housing is provided with a damping structure therein onwhich the limiting portion is arranged.

Preferably, the damping structure is in an elongated shape, and has oneend fixed to the inner wall of the housing, and the other end being afree end.

Preferably, an end of the damping structure connected with the innerwall of the housing extends in a circumferential direction of the innerwall of the housing.

Preferably, the damping structure is an arc structure; or,

-   -   a surface of the damping structure approximate to the inner core        is an arc surface.

Preferably, a portion of the damping structure intermediate the two endshas a thickness greater than a thickness of the two ends of the dampingstructure.

Preferably, the limiting portion is approximate to the end of thedamping structure connected with the inner wall of the housing.

Preferably, the limiting portion includes a protrusion formed on asurface of the damping structure in contact with the inner core.

Preferably, a dodge structure is arranged at a position of the innerwall of the housing corresponding to the damping structure. The dodgestructure provides space for deformation of the damping structure.

Preferably, the inner core includes a bump that is able to contact andpress the damping structure during rotation of the inner core.

Preferably, the damper further includes an end cap that limits the innercore within the housing.

The present disclosure further provides a cooker comprising a cookingbody and a lid which are rotatably connected by means of a hinge shaft;and the stewing means also comprises the damper illustrated above forproviding damping to the rotation of the cover body relative to thecooking body.

The present disclosure provides a damping device arranged between acover body and a main body. The damping device comprises an inner corean outer side wall of which is provided with a friction member, and anouter casing comprising a fixed member. The inner wall of the fixedmember is provided with an elastic piece so that the friction member canbe brought into contact with the elastic piece to create dampingfriction. The fixed member is provided with a cavity having openings attwo ends so as to arrange the inner core in the cavity of the fixedmember. The fixed member has a square-shaped outer contour.

Preferably, a notch is formed in an outer peripheral wall of the fixedmember at a position corresponding to the elastic piece. The position ofthe inner wall of the fixed member abutting against the elastic piecehas an arc structure which is at the position of the notch.

Preferably, the outer casing further includes a supporting member forfixing the outer casing to the main body.

Preferably, the fixed member and the supporting member are in aone-piece configuration.

Preferably, a deformation corresponding to the damping friction betweenthe friction member and the elastic piece matches a buffer forcecorresponding to the damping friction.

Preferably, the friction member of the inner core is a bump protrudingfrom the outer surface of the inner core.

Preferably, the inner core is fixed on the cover body through a hingeshaft, and the inner core has a D-shaped hole matching the shape of thehinge shaft.

Preferably, the openings at both ends of the outer casing are providedwith end caps.

Preferably, the fixed member has a first end face and a second end faceopposite to each other, and the cavity is formed in the fixed member andruns through the first end face and the second end face. The inner coreis arranged in the cavity.

Preferably, the end cap comprises a first end cap and a second end cap,wherein the shape of the first end cap matches the shape of the firstend face, and the shape of the second end cap matches the shape of thesecond end face.

Corresponding with the above, another aspect of the present disclosureprovides a cooker comprising the damping device described above.

Preferably, the cooker further comprises a cooking body and a lid fixedon the cooking body, wherein the lid is fixed on the cooking body bymeans of a hinge shaft to which the inner core is fixed.

Preferably, the hinge shaft is D-shaped.

The present disclosure has the following advantageous effects:

1. The damping device illustrated in the present disclosure is arrangedbetween the main body and the cover body, and comprises a rotary memberfixed on the cover body and a fixed member fixed on the main body,wherein the fixed member is a hollow body having openings at both ends;the rotary member is nested in the hollow body; one of the rotary memberand the inner side wall of the hollow body is provided with a frictionmember, the other one being provided with an elastic piece. During theopening of the cove body, the elastic piece is slidably fitted with thefriction member and generates a varying frictional resistance duringsliding. The rotary member in the damping device is wrapped in the fixedmember, and the matched friction member and the elastic piece are alsowithin the fixed member. Therefore, the damping device of the presentdisclosure is less susceptible to outside temperature and humidity andthus is less likely to fail. In addition, the rotary member is arrangedin the fixed member and part of the volume of the rotary member overlapspart of the volume of the fixed member, occupying smaller space.

2. In the damping device described in the present disclosure, thefrictional resistance increases gradually during the process of openingthe cover body to enable smooth opening of the cover body. In thedamping device described in the present disclosure, the friction memberis a protrusion, which has a simple structure and is easily to bemanufactured at low cost. In the damping device described in the presentdisclosure, the friction member is formed integrally on the rotarymember to reduce manufacturing steps and further reduce cost. In thedamping device described in the present disclosure, the elastic piece isan outwardly protruding elastic sheet, and has an elasticity graduallychanging during the process of fitting the friction member with theelastic piece to enable smooth transition. In the damping devicedescribed in the present disclosure, the rotary member is fixed on thecover body by a hinge shaft, and the rotary member has a non-circularhole matched with the shape of the hinge shaft, thus achieving simpleproduction and reliable transmission fitting.

3. According to the device with the damping structure provided by thepresent disclosure, the damping structure has a more stable structureand longer service life, to solve the problems of non-full-opening andjumping open in the process of opening the existing cooking appliancesas much as possible and creates better damping effect and userexperience, and has a simple structure and can be assembled and producedeasily with a small volume at low cost. More importantly, during atleast part of the process of opening the second body relative to thefirst body, the protrusion rotates from a suspended end of the elasticpiece to a fixed end thereof. At an earlier stage of this process, theelastic force of the elastic sheet shows a longer linear change area,which allows easy selection of the elastic sheet as well as control ofthe elastic force of the elastic sheet, while in the later stage of thisprocess, since the protrusion does not reach the fixed end of theelastic sheet, the fixed end of the elastic sheet is subject to lessstress and slight deformation, and is less likely to be fractured andhas longer service life and high reliability of the whole structure.

4. The damping device according to the present disclosure is arrangedbetween a cover body and a main body; the damping device comprises aninner core an outer side wall of which is provided with a frictionmember, and an outer casing which comprises a fixed member and asupporting member. The inner wall of the fixed member is provided withan elastic piece such that the friction member and the elastic piece canbe brought into contact to create damping friction; the supportingmember is disposed at an outer periphery of the fixed member andcomprises a first cantilever extending toward a first direction from theouter peripheral wall of the fixed member and a second cantileverextending toward a second direction from the outer peripheral wall ofthe fixed member. In this way, the outer casing can provide a stresspoint for itself by using the first cantilever and the second cantileverof the supporting member to bring the outer casing into contact with thecooking body of the cooker, thereby obtaining a damping device with asimple structure and small occupied space.

5. The damping device of the present disclosure has a first directionand a second direction opposite to each other. In this case, the outercasing can provide a stress point for itself by using the firstcantilever and the second cantilever of the supporting member to bringthe outer casing into contact with the cooking body of the cooker,thereby obtaining a damping device with a simple structure and smalloccupied space. In the technical solution of the present disclosure, thefixed member has a cavity having openings at both ends, and the innercore can be arranged in the cavity of the fixed member such that theinner core and the outer casing cooperate with each other.

6. The damping device according to the present disclosure is arrangedbetween a cover body and a main body; the damping device comprises aninner core an outer side wall of which is provided with a frictionmember, and an outer casing which comprises a fixed member and asupporting member. The inner wall of the fixed member is provided withan elastic piece such that the friction member and the elastic piece canbe brought into contact to create damping friction; the supportingmember is disposed at an outer peripheral wall of the fixed member andcomprises a first cantilever extending toward a first direction from theouter peripheral wall of the fixed member and a second cantileverextending toward a second direction from the outer peripheral wall ofthe fixed member. The outer casing of the present disclosure comprises afixed member and a supporting member which is disposed at an outerperiphery of the fixed member and which comprises a first cantileverextending toward a first direction from the outer peripheral wall of thefixed member and a second cantilever extending toward a second directionfrom the outer peripheral wall of the fixed member. In this way, theouter casing can provide a stress point for itself by using the firstcantilever and the second cantilever of the supporting member, so thatthe outer casing contacts with the cooking body of the cooker, therebyobtaining a damping device with a simple structure and small occupiedspace.

7. According to the damping device of the present disclosure, a limitingstructure arranged in the housing may function to limit the movement ofthe inner core to prevent excessive movement of the inner core andprotect the damper, thereby increasing the service life of the damperand creating better use effect and higher reliability.

8. In the technical solution of the present disclosure, the dampingdevice is arranged between a cover body and a main body and comprises aninner core an outer side wall of which is provided with a frictionmember, and an outer casing which comprises a fixed member. The innerwall of the fixed member is provided with an elastic piece such that thefriction member and the elastic piece can be brought into contact tocreate damping friction. The fixed member has a cavity having openingsat both ends so as to arrange the inner core therein. The fixed memberhas a square outer contour. In this way, due to the square shape of theouter contour of the fixed member of the outer casing, the area of theouter casing is increased. Because of the increase in the area, theouter casing of the damping device will have increased strength and willbe less likely to be damaged. At the meantime, the service life of thedamping device is increased.

9. According to the technical solution of the present disclosure, anotch is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the fixed member at aposition corresponding to the elastic piece. The position of the innerwall of the fixed member abutting against the elastic piece has an arcstructure which is at the position of the notch. This facilitates thecontact between the friction member of the inner core and the elasticpiece of the fixed member, thereby creating damping friction due to thecontact to generate a buffer force for smoothly opening or closing thecover body.

10. According to the technical solution of the present disclosure, theouter casing further includes a supporting member for fixing the outercasing to the main body. Therefore, the outer casing can be fixed to themain body by the supporting member. Thus, in the technical solution ofthe present disclosure, the damping device is arranged between the mainbody and the cover body, and comprises an inner core an outer side wallof which is provided with a friction member, and an outer casing whichcomprises a fixed member. The inner wall of the fixed member is providedwith an elastic piece such that the friction member and the elasticpiece can be brought into contact to create damping friction. The fixedmember has a cavity having openings at both ends so as to arrange theinner core in the cavity of the fixed member. The fixed member has asquare outer contour. In this way, due to the square shape of the outercontour of the fixed member of the outer casing, the area of the outercasing is increased. Because of the increase in the area, the outercasing of the damping device will have increased strength and will beless likely to be damaged. At the meantime, the service life of thedamping device is increased.

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will beillustrated in the description below, and will become apparent partlyfrom the description, or may be understood by carrying out the presentdisclosure.

The technical solution of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the drawings and embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure and, together with the written description, serve toexplain the principles of the invention. Wherever possible, the samereference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the sameor like elements of an embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a damping device in Embodiment 1 of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1 without mounting a sealing cover;

FIG. 4 is a structural view of the damping structure provided inEmbodiment 2 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an exploded structural view of the damping structure providedin Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a structural view of the outer casing provided in Embodiment 2of the present disclosure after removal of the end cap;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the damping structure provided in Embodiment 2of the present disclosure after removal of the end cap;

FIG. 8 is an assembling view of each component of the damping deviceaccording to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a structural view of each component of the damping deviceaccording to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a structural view of an elastic cantilever within the outercasing according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a structural view of the cooker according to Embodiment 3 ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is an exploded structural view of the damping device ofEmbodiment 4 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a structural view of the housing of Embodiment 4;

FIG. 14 is a structural view of the inner core of Embodiment 4;

FIG. 15 is a structural view of each component of the damping deviceaccording to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the structure of the outer casing in thedamping device according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of the structure of the end cap in thedamping device according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 18 is another structural view of the damping device according toEmbodiment 5 of the present disclosure.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numerals in the embodiments ofthe present disclosure are as follows:

1. outer casing (or housing); 11. fixed member (or casing body, or fixedpiece, or main body); 12. supporting member (or fixing mechanism ormounting portion); 13. opening (or notch); 14. elastic piece (or elasticsheet or damping structure); 15. dodge structure; 16. limiting portion;2. inner core (or rotary member); 21. protrusions (or friction member orbump); 22. first through-hole (or limiting hole); 3. end cap (or sealingcap); 31. positioning stud (or second supporting member); 32. secondthrough-hole; 4. hinge shaft; 5. baffle; 51. first supporting member;52. first through-hole; 6. cooker.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In order to make the objective, technical solution and advantages of thepresent disclosure clearer, the technical solution of the presentdisclosure will be illustrated clearly and completely with reference tothe embodiments and corresponding drawings. Apparently, the embodimentsto be described are only some of the embodiments, but not all of theembodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments obtained, basedon the embodiments of the present disclosure, by those skilled in theart without paying any creative effort shall be considered as beingwithin the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Embodiment 1

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, a cooker comprises a cooking body and a lidhinged thereto. A damping device is arranged between the cooking bodyand the lid. The damping device, arranged between the cooking body andthe lid, comprises a fixed member 11 fixed to the lid and to the cookingbody. The fixed member 11 is a hollow body having openings at both ends,in which hollow body a rotary member 2 is nested. The rotary member 2 isprovided with a friction member 21 and an elastic piece 14 is arrangedon an inner side wall of the hollow body. During the opening of the lid,the elastic piece 14 is slidably fitted with the friction member 21 andgenerates a varying frictional resistance during sliding. The frictionalresistance may be designed to increase gradually during the openingprocess. Of course, the change of frictional resistance may be designedaccording to actual needs. The friction member 21 may be a protrusion.In this embodiment, the friction member 21 is integrally formed on therotary member 2, as shown in FIG. 2. The elastic piece 14 is anoutwardly protruding elastic sheet and is fixedly arranged on the innerside wall of the hollow body. The openings at both ends of the fixedmember 11 may also be provided with sealing covers 3 to seal the rotarymember 2 in the fixed member 11.

The rotary member 2 is fixed to the lid by means of a hinge shaft 4, andhas a non-circular hole adapted to the shape of the hinge shaft 4. Inthis embodiment, the non-circular hole is D-shaped, and the hinge shaft4 is a D-shaped shaft, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The lid is hinged on the cooking body by means of the hinge shaft 4 towhich the rotary member 2 is fixed. A torsion spring is also arrangedbetween the cooking body and the lid to apply a force onto the lid in anopening direction thereof.

A damping device, arranged between a main body and a cover body,comprises the rotary member 2 fixed to the cover body and the fixedmember 11 fixed to the main body. The fixed member 11 is a hollow bodyin which the rotary member 2 is nested. The inner side wall of thehollow body is provided with a friction member 21 and the rotary member2 is provided with an elastic piece 14. During the opening of the lid,the elastic piece 14 is slidably fitted with the friction member 21 andgenerates a varying frictional resistance during sliding.

Embodiment 2

As shown in FIGS. 4-7, the embodiment of the present disclosure providesa cooking appliance having a damping structure, such as an electric ricecooker or an electric pressure cooker.

The cooking appliance (not shown) in this embodiment comprises a potbody, a pot lid, a rotary shaft, a torsion spring and a dampingstructure. The pot lid is rotatably connected to the pot body by meansof the rotary shaft. The torsion spring is sleeved on the rotary shaft.Two legs of the torsion spring are respectively abutted against the potbody and the pot cover, wherein the number of the torsion spring ispreferably but not limited to at least two, and may be one or more thantwo as needed.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4-7, the damping structure comprises an outercasing 1 and an inner core 2 nested in the outer casing 1. An inner wallof the outer casing 1 is provided with an elastic sheet 14 which has afirst end fixedly connected to the inner wall of the outer casing 1 anda second end arranged in a suspended manner. An outer wall of the innercore 2 is provided with a protrusion 21. One of the pot lid and the potbody is fixed with the outer casing 1 or the inner core 2, and the otherone is rotatable relative to the outer casing 1 by driving the innercore 2 with the rotary shaft. During at least part of the relativerotation of the inner core 2 and the outer casing 1, the protrusion 21rotates relative to the elastic sheet 14 and extrudes a wall surface ofthe elastic sheet 14. The elastic sheet 3 is extruded to deform andgenerate a resistance against the relative rotation between the innercore 2 and the outer casing 1, thereby hindering the relative rotationbetween the pot lid and the pot body. The damping structure has a morestable structure and longer service life and is capable of preventingproblems such as non-full-opening and jumping open during the opening ofthe existing cooking appliances as much as possible, and produces betterdamping effect and user experience with simple structure and smallvolume, and can be assembled and manufactured easily at low cost.

The elastic piece 14 and the protrusion 21 are preferably but notlimited to be made of plastic or metal material. The number of theelastic piece 14 and of the protrusion 21 is preferably but not limitedto two respectively, and may be one or more than two respectively. Theelastic piece 3 is preferably in an arc shape and protrudes in adirection away from the outer casing 1 to simplify the structure andprovide greater elasticity. More preferably, in order to facilitateprocessing, the outer casing 1 is provided with an opening 13, a firstend of the elastic piece 14 being connected to a side wall of theopening 13, and a second end thereof being arranged in a suspendedmanner.

Referring to FIG. 6, preferably, both the outer casing 1 and the innercore 2 are generally in a cylindrical form. For easy assembly and use,the outer casing 1 comprises a casing body 11 having an open end andbeing hollow, and an end cap 3 arranged at the open end of the casingbody 11. On a bottom surface of the casing body 11 and an inner wallsurface of the end cap 3 are arranged positioning studs 31 respectively,onto which both ends of the inner core 2 are sleeved after installation.Of course, it should be understood that only the bottom surface of thecasing body 11 or the inner wall surface of the end cap 3 being providedwith a positioning stud 31 is a variation of the embodiment. It shouldbe understood that the shapes of the outer casing 1 and the inner core 2are not limited thereto, as long as the inner core 2 can be nested inthe outer casing 1 and rotate relative thereto.

As a specific embodiment, the damping structure is mounted in such amanner; the inner core 2 is sleeved on the rotary shaft and rotatabletogether therewith, and the outer casing 1 is fixed on the pot body.More specifically, further referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the outer wall ofthe outer casing 1 is provided with a fixing mechanism 12 for fixingwith the pot body. The inner core 2 is provided with a firstthrough-hole 22 along a height direction thereof, and both ends of theouter casing 1 are respectively provided with second through-holes 32corresponding to the position of the first through-hole 22.Specifically, the positioning stud 31 on the bottom surface of thecasing body 11 and the positioning stud 31 on the inner wall surface ofthe end cap 3 are respectively provided with second through-holes 32.The first through-hole 22 and the second through-holes 32 are intendedfor passage of the rotary shaft. The inner core 2 and the rotary shaftcannot rotate relatively.

The structure of the fixing mechanism 12 is not particularly limited, aslong as there is no relative movement between the outer casing 1 and thepot body. For example, the fixing mechanism 12 is a protrusioninsertable into a corresponding groove in the pot body. Referring toFIG. 7, the first through-hole 22 may be arranged in such a manner; theinner core 2 is in a hollow tubular structure, approximate to theintermediate of which a plate-like structure is provided. The firstthrough-hole 22 is disposed in the plate-like structure and has a crosssection that is preferably but not limited to a D-shape or a polygonalshape. During opening or closing the pot lid, the inner core 2 is drivento rotate by the rotary shaft, and at the same time, the protrusion 21is in relative rotation and friction with the elastic piece 14, therebygenerating a resistance that hinders the relative rotation between theinner core 2 and the outer casing 1.

Further referring to FIG. 7 (the dashed line with the arrow in FIG. 7indicates the rotation direction of the inner core 2 during the openingof the pot lid), during at least part of the opening process of the potlid relative to the pot body, the protrusion 21 extrudes the wallsurface of the elastic sheet 14, and rotates from a suspended second endof the elastic sheet 14 to a first end thereof. Also, preferably, theprotrusion 21 does not reach the first end of the elastic sheet 14 whenthe pot lid is completely opened with respect to the pot body.

In this embodiment, during at least part of the opening process of thepot lid relative to the pot body, the protrusion 21 rotates from thesecond end (i.e., the suspended end) of the elastic sheet 14 to thefirst end (i.e., the fixed end) of the elastic sheet 14. At an earlierstage of this process, the elastic force of the elastic sheet 14 shows alonger linear change region, which allows easy selection of the elasticsheet 14 as well as control of the elastic force of the elastic sheet14. However, at a later stage of this process, since the protrusion 21does not reach the fixed end of the elastic sheet 14, the fixed end ofthe elastic sheet 14 is subject to less stress and slight deformation,and is less likely to be fractured and has longer service life and highreliability of the whole structure.

The working principle of the damping structure disclosed in thisembodiment is as follows:

When being opened, the pot lid drives the inner core 2 with the rotaryshaft to rotate. Meanwhile, the protrusion 21 extrudes the wall surfaceof the elastic sheet 14 and rotates from the second end of the elasticsheet 14 to the first end thereof. When the pot lid is completely openedrelative to the pot body, the protrusion 21 does not reach the first endof the elastic piece 14. In the process of opening the pot lid, theelastic sheet 14 is extruded to deform and generate a resistance againstthe relative rotation between the inner core 2 and the outer casing 1.The elastic sheet 14 can generate different resistances due to differentdeformations to hinder the relative rotation between the pot lid and thepot body so that the movement of the pot lid in the opening process issmoother.

It should be noted that, as an alternative implementation, in thisembodiment, the elastic sheet 14 may also be disposed on the inner core2, and the protrusion 21 is disposed on the outer casing 1. The firstend of the elastic sheet 14 is fixed to the outer wall of the inner core2, and the second end is arranged in a suspended manner. During at leastpart of the opening process of the pot lid, the protrusion 21 rotatesfrom the second end of the elastic sheet 14 toward the first endthereof, and the elastic sheet 14 protrudes in a direction away from theinner core 2. As an alternative implementation, in this embodiment, theinner core 2 may be fixed relative to the pot body. For instance, thepot body is provided with a mounting shaft on which the inner core 2 issleeved. The inner core 2 and the mounting shaft cannot rotate relativeto each other. The outer casing 1 is directly or indirectly driven bythe rotary shaft to rotate in the process of opening or closing the potlid. In addition, the application of the damping structure provided inthis embodiment is not limited to cooking appliances. Instead, whereappropriate, the damping structure may also be applied to other devicesthat need buffering, which devices comprise a first body and a secondbody that are rotatably connected by means of a rotary shaft and atorsion spring. The first body is fixed to the outer casing 1 or theinner core 2 and the second body are rotatable relative to the outercasing 1 by driving the inner core 2 with the rotary shaft. During atleast part of the opening process of the second body relative to thefirst body, the protrusion 21 extrudes the wall surface of the elasticsheet 14, and rotates from the second end to the first end.

Embodiment 3

As shown in FIGS. 8-11, the embodiment according to the presentdisclosure provides a damping device. FIG. 8 shows the assembling ofeach component of the damping device of the present disclosure, in whichthe reference numeral 2 represents the inner core, 1 the outer casing,11 the fixed member, 12 the supporting member, and 3 the end cap.

As shown in FIG. 8, the damping device is arranged between the coverbody and the main body, and comprises an inner core 2 an outer side wallof which is provided with a friction member, and an outer casing 1 whichcomprises a fixed member 11 and a supporting member 12. An elastic pieceis arranged on an inner wall of the fixed member 11 to bring thefriction member into contact with the elastic piece to generate dampingfriction. The supporting member 12 is disposed on an outer periphery ofthe fixed part 11 and comprises a first cantilever extending toward afirst direction from an outer peripheral wall of the fixed member 11 anda second cantilever extending toward a second direction from the outerperipheral wall of the fixed member 11. The outer casing 1 of thepresent disclosure includes the fixed member 11 and the supportingmember 12 arranged on the outer periphery of the fixed member 11 andcomprising a first cantilever extending toward a first direction fromthe outer peripheral wall of the fixed member 11 and a second cantileverextending toward a second direction from the outer peripheral wall ofthe fixed member 11. In this way, the outer casing 1 can provide astress point for itself by using the first cantilever and the secondcantilever of the supporting member 12 to bring the outer casing 1 intocontact with the cooking body of the cooker 6, thereby simplifying thestructure of the existing damping devices and occupying smaller space bythe damping device.

Since the outer casing 1 is able to provide a stress point for itself byusing the first cantilever and the second cantilever of the supportingmember 12, the damping device according to the present disclosure,compared with existing damping devices, may reduce an externalsupporting member. Therefore, compared with existing damping devices,the damping device of the present disclosure not only has a simplestructure, but also saves the space occupied.

As shown in FIG. 8, the supporting member 12 of the outer casing 1includes a first cantilever extending toward a first direction from anouter peripheral wall of the fixed member 11 and a second cantileverextending toward a second direction from the outer peripheral wall ofthe fixed member 11, and the first direction corresponding to the firstcantilever is opposite to the second direction corresponding to thesecond cantilever. In this way, the outer casing 1 can provide a stresspoint for itself by using the first cantilever and the second cantileverof the supporting member 12 to bring the outer casing 1 into contactwith the cooking body of the cooker 6, thereby obtaining a dampingdevice with a simple structure and small occupied space.

In order to allow for better fitting between the inner core 2 and theouter casing 1, the fixed member 11 has a cavity having openings at bothends and the inner core 2 may be arranged in the cavity of the fixedmember 11.

In order to reduce the space occupied by the damping device of thepresent disclosure, the fixed member 11 and the supporting member 12 ofthe outer casing 1 can be designed into a one-piece configuration. Inthis way, the damping device of the present disclosure may be disposedbetween the lid and the cooking body of the cooker 6 with smallervolume.

In the damping device of the present disclosure, the deformationcorresponding to the damping friction between the friction member andthe elastic piece matches the buffer force corresponding to the dampingfriction. Specifically, the greater the deformation corresponding to thedamping friction between the friction member and the elastic piece is,the greater the buffer force generated by the damping friction is, andvice versa.

In the damping device of the present disclosure, in order to increasethe buffer force generated by damping friction between the frictionmember and the elastic piece, the friction member of the inner core 1 isdesigned as a bump protruding from the outer surface of the inner core2. In practice, a plurality of bumps may be arranged on the outersurface of the inner core 2 in a symmetrical and uniform manner.

The inner core 2 is fixed on the cover body by means of a hinge shaft,and has a D-shaped hole matched with the shape of the hinge shaft. Inthis way, the inner core 2 is fitted with the hinge shaft for movement,and moves synchronously with the cover body during the opening orclosing of the cover body.

In order to firmly arrange the inner core 2 in the cavity of the fixedmember 11 of the outer casing 1, the openings at both ends of the outercasing 1 are provided with end caps 3.

FIG. 9 is a structural view of each component of the damping device ofthe present disclosure, wherein the reference numeral 2 represents theinner core, 1 the outer casing, 11 the fixed member, 12 the supportingmember, and 3 the end cap. Reference is made to the illustration of FIG.8 and detailed depiction will not be repeated here. The structural viewof each component is only to show the structure of each component of thedamping device of the present disclosure more clearly.

FIG. 10 is a structural view of the elastic cantilever in the outercasing of the present disclosure, wherein the reference numeral 1represents the outer casing. Reference is made to the illustration ofFIG. 8 and detailed depiction will not be repeated here.

FIG. 11 is a structural view of the cooker of the present disclosure,wherein the reference numeral 6 represents the cooker. The structure ofthe damping device used in combination with the cooker 6 can be seenfrom FIG. 11. The detailed illustration of the damping device refers toFIG. 8 and will not be repeated here.

According to the technical solution of the present disclosure, thedamping device is arranged between the cover body and the main body andcomprises an inner core 2 an outer side wall of which is provided with afriction member, and an outer casing 1 which comprises a fixed member 11and a supporting member 12. An elastic piece is arranged on an innerwall of the fixed member 11 to bring the friction member into contactwith the elastic piece to generate damping friction. The supportingmember 12 is disposed on an outer periphery of the fixed member 11 andcomprises a first cantilever extending toward a first direction from anouter peripheral wall of the fixed member 11 and a second cantileverextending toward a second direction from the outer peripheral wall ofthe fixed member 11. The outer casing 1 of the present disclosureincludes a fixed member 11 and a supporting member 12 arranged on theouter periphery of the fixed member 11 and comprising a first cantileverextending toward a first direction from the outer peripheral wall of thefixed member 11 and a second cantilever extending toward a seconddirection from the outer peripheral wall of the fixed member 11. In thisway, the outer casing 1 can provide a stress point for itself by usingthe first cantilever and the second cantilever of the supporting member12 to bring the outer casing 1 into contact with the cooking body of thecooker 6, thereby obtaining a damping device having a simple structureand occupying small space.

Furthermore, in the technical solution of the present disclosure, thefirst direction and the second direction are opposite. In this way, theouter casing 1 can provide a stress point for itself by using the firstcantilever and the second cantilever of the supporting member 12 tobring the outer casing 1 into contact with the cooking body of thecooker 6, thereby obtaining a damping device having a simple structureand occupying small space.

Further, according to the technical solution of the present disclosure,the fixed member 11 has a cavity having openings at both ends, and theinner core 2 can be disposed in the cavity of the fixed member 11 tofacilitate fitting between the inner core 2 and the outer casing 1.

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a cooker 6 isfurther provided, comprising the damping device illustrated above.

The cooker 6 of the present disclosure also comprises a cooking body anda lid fixed thereto. The lid is fixed to the cooking body by means of ahinge shaft to which the inner core 2 is fixed, wherein the hinge shaftis D-shaped.

In order to prevent lateral movement of the damping device of thepresent disclosure, the cooking body is also provided with at least twolimiting ribs. The supporting member 12 of the outer casing 1 of thedamping device is insertable into a cavity formed by adjacent limitingribs to limit the supporting member 12. Specifically, the limiting ribshave a shape that matches the shape of the supporting member 12, so thatthe supporting member 12 is insertable into the cavity formed by theadjacent limiting ribs. Besides, the size of the limiting ribs alsomatches the size of the supporting member 12, so that the supportingmember 12 is insertable into the cavity formed by the adjacent limitingribs.

Since the cooker 6 of the present disclosure includes a damping devicehaving a simple structure and occupying small space, the volume of thecooker 6 of the present disclosure can be reduced accordingly.

In addition, the damping device of the cooker 6 of the presentdisclosure comprises an inner core 2 an outer side wall of which isprovided with a friction member, and an outer casing 1 which comprises afixed member 11 and a supporting member 12. An elastic piece is arrangedon an inner wall of the fixed member 11 to bring the friction memberinto contact with the elastic piece to generate damping friction,thereby creating sufficient buffer force with the damping friction toopen or close the lid of the cooker 6 smoothly. This reduces theproblems of non-full-opening or jumping open of the lid of the existingcookers 6 to improve user experience.

Embodiment 4

As shown in FIGS. 12-14, the damper of the present disclosure is used toprovide damping for the relative movement between two hinged portions.For instance, for a pot with a cover body hinged to a main body, like anelectric rice cooker, it is possible to provide a damping force duringthe opening of the cover body. As shown in FIG. 12, the damper of thepresent disclosure comprises a housing 1, an inner core 2 and an end cap3, wherein the inner core 2 is rotatably arranged in the housing 1, anddefined in the housing 1 by the end cap 3. The housing 1 is providedtherein with a limiting portion 16 for limiting the rotation of theinner core 2.

As shown in FIG. 13, the housing 1 includes a main body 11 which has acylindrical form and a mounting portion 12 which is connected to anouter wall of the main body 11. The mounting portion 12 functions tolimit or mount the housing 1 to prevent relative movement between themain body 11 and the pot. Preferably, in this embodiment, the mountingportion 12 is a protruding structure formed on the outer wall of themain body 11. The specific shape and number of the protruding structureare not defined, as long as the limiting and fixing function iseffective. Preferably, the mounting portion 12 is provided with amounting hole so as to be fitted and mounted with for example a bolt.

In a preferred embodiment, there is one end cap 3. In this embodiment, afirst end of the main body 11 is provided with a baffle 5 intended toblock the first end of the main body 11, and a second end of the mainbody 11 is used for mounting the end cap 3. In other embodiments, theremay be two end caps 3, one of which has the same function as the baffle5. Preferably, the baffle 5 is provided with a first supporting member51 on an internal surface of the main body 11. The first supportingmember 51 has a column or cylindrical structure for supporting the innercore 2 and enabling the inner core 2 to rotate (described in detailbelow). An axis of the first supporting member 51 is preferablycollinear with an axis of the main body 11. Preferably, the firstsupporting member 51 is provided with a first through-hole 52 forachieving connection between the inner core 2 and a moving member thatis a hinge shaft between the cover body and the pot. The firstthrough-hole 52 runs through the first supporting member 51 and thebaffle 5, and has an axis that is collinear with the axis of the firstsupporting member 51.

In a preferred embodiment, an inner wall of the main body 11 is providedwith a damping structure 14 for providing a damping force to therotation of the inner core 2. Preferably, the damping structure 14 is anelastic elongated structure that extends along a circumferentialdirection of the inner wall of the main body 11. Preferably, the dampingstructure 14 is an elongated structure with a certain radian, or asurface thereof contacting with the inner core 2 is an arc-shapedsurface, in order to provide a greater damping force and achieve morestable operation of the inner core 2. The arc-shaped surface of thedamping structure 14 may be designed to have a regular or irregularshape according to the requirement of the necessary damping force, andfurther preferably, the damping structure 14 is an elastic metal sheet.One end of the damping structure 14 is fixedly connected to the innerwall of the main body 11, and the other end is a free end. The innercore 2, when moved, contacts with the damping structure 14 and appliesan extrusion force onto the damping structure 14 with the movement ofthe inner core 2 to elastically deform the damping structure 14. At thesame time, the damping structure 14 provides a varying damping force tothe inner core 2 during the deformation process. The inner core 2, whenmoving, preferably first contacts with the free end of the dampingstructure 14. A joint between the damping structure 14 and the innerwall of the main body 11 extends a certain length along the inner wallof the main body 11 to increase a joint area of the damping structure 14and the main body 11, so that, when the damping structure 14 isdeformed, the same change also takes place at the point of the jointwhere the damping structure 14 and the main body 11 are deformed as afunction of different deformations, which prevents fracture caused byover deformation at the same point or excessive deformations, therebyimproving the strength and operation reliability of the dampingstructure 14. Further, the damping structure 14 has a greater thicknessat an intermediate portion thereof than at both ends in its extensiondirection so as to improve the strength of the damping structure 14without affecting the deformation performance thereof. Preferably, thelimiting portion 16 is formed on the damping structure 14 and disposedat a position near the joint between the damping structure 14 and themain body 11, such that the inner core 2 cannot continue moving whenmoving to a position where it comes into contact with the blockingstructure, hence limiting the movement of the inner core 2. The limitingportion 16 preferably includes a protruding structure formed on thecontact surface of the damping structure 14 and the inner core 2.Preferably, there is one damping structure 14, or there are two oppositedamping structures.

Preferably, a dodge structure 15 is provided on the inner wall of themain body 11 at a position corresponding to the damping structure 14 soas to provide space for deformation of the damping structure 14. Thedodge structure 15 may be a grooved structure on the inner wall of themain body 11 corresponding to the position of the damping structure 14,or may be designed as a through-hole penetrating in the radial directionof the main body 11. When the inner core 2 contacts with the dampingstructure 14 and provides an extrusion force, the damping structure 130will move into the dodge structure 15 to elastically deform.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the main body of the inner core 2 is of acylindrical form on the outer wall of which the protrusion 21 isprovided. The axial and radial dimensions of the inner core 2 aresmaller than those of the housing 1, such that the inner core 2 can bemounted in the main body 11 of the housing 1 and rotate relative to thehousing 1 therein. When the inner core 2 is mounted in the main body 11,the first supporting member 51 is inserted into one end of the innercore 2, or when the first supporting member 51 is of a cylindrical form,one end of the inner core 2 may be inserted into the first supportingmember 51. A limiting hole 22 is formed in the inner core 2 andcooperates with a connecting shaft of a component concerned, such as adriving component, so that the inner core 2 can rotate with theconnecting shaft which is preferably a hinge shaft of a cooker and acover body. Preferably, the limiting hole 22 is D-shaped. The bump 21can contact with the damping structure 14 and provide an extrusion forceto the damping structure 14 during the movement of the inner core 2.Preferably, for smooth operation, a surface of the bump 21 in contactwith the damping structure 14 is a curved surface. The position andnumber of the bump 21 correspond to those of the damping structure 14,such that the bump 21 is not in contact with the damping structure 14when the inner core 2 is in the initial position, and the bump 21 comesinto contact with the damping structure 14 when the inner core 2 is inrotation and movement. When the bump 21 is in contact with the limitingportion 16 on the damping structure 14, the inner core stops moving.

As shown in FIG. 12, the end cap 3 is capable of covering the second endof the housing 1 and limiting the inner core 2 within the housing 1. Asurface of the end cap 3 inside the housing 1 is provided with a secondsupporting member 31 which preferably has the same structure as thefirst supporting member 51, that is, the second supporting member 31 isin a column or cylindrical form with an axis collinear with the axis ofthe main body 11. Preferably, the second supporting member 31 isprovided with a through-hole for connecting the inner core 2 with othercomponents. The through-hole penetrates through the second supportingmember 31, and has an axis that is collinear with the axis of the secondsupporting member 31.

The present disclosure also provides a cooker (which is also called astewing appliance). The stewing appliance comprises a pot body and acover body hinged onto the pot body. The stewing appliance is providedwith the damper to realize smooth opening of the cover body withoutproblems such as jumping open or non-full-opening. Preferably, thedamper is arranged on the pot body of the stewing appliance, and thehousing 1 is fixed to the pot body. The inner core 2 is connected with ahinge shaft of the pot body and the cover body, and the hinge shaft isrotated with the opening or closing of the cover body, thereby drivingthe inner core 2 to rotate. Preferably, the stewing appliance is anelectric rice cooker, an electric pressure cooker, etc.

The damper provided by the present disclosure limits the rotation of theinner core by arranging a limiting portion on the damping structure,such that the damper functions for limiting while providing a dampingforce, and increases a connection area of the damping structure and thehousing to improve the strength of the damping structure and thereliability of the damper.

Embodiment 5

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a damping deviceis provided, a structural view of each component of which is shown inFIG. 15, wherein the reference numeral 2 represents the inner core, 1the outer casing, 11 the fixed member, 13 the notch or opening, 12 thesupporting member, and 3 the end cap.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, the damping device is arranged between thecover body and the main body and comprises an inner core 2 an outer sidewall of which is provided with a friction member, and an outer casing 1which comprises a fixed member 11. An elastic piece is arranged on theinner wall of the fixed member 11 to bring the friction member intocontact with the elastic piece to generate damping friction. The fixedmember 11 has a cavity having openings at both ends so as to arrange theinner core 2 therein. The fixed member 11 has a square outer contour. Inthis way, due to the square shape of the outer contour of the fixedmember 11 of the outer casing 1, the area of the outer casing 1 isincreased. Because of the increase in the area, the outer casing 1 ofthe damping device will have increased strength and will be less likelyto be damaged. At the meantime, the service life of the damping deviceis increased.

As shown in FIG. 15, a notch 13 is formed on the outer peripheral wallof the fixed member 11 at a position corresponding to the elastic piece.The position of the inner wall of the fixed member 11 abutting againstthe elastic piece has an arc structure which is at the position of thenotch 13. This facilitates the contact between the friction member ofthe inner core 2 and the elastic piece of the fixed member 11, andcreates damping friction due to the contact. Since the square outercontour of the fixed member 11 of the outer casing 1 increases the areaof the outer casing 1, the strength of the outer casing 1 can beincreased as well. However, due to the square outer contour of the fixedmember 11 of the outer casing 1, in order to prevent limiting thecontact between the friction member of the inner core 2 and the elasticpiece of the fixed member 11, the notch 13 is formed on the outerperipheral wall of the fixed member 11 at a position corresponding tothe elastic piece. The arrangement of the notch 13 can facilitate thecontact between the friction member of the inner core 2 and the elasticpiece of the fixed member 11, thus creating damping friction due to thecontact so as to generate a buffer force capable of smoothly opening thecover body of the cooker.

As shown in FIG. 15, in addition to the fixed member 11, the outercasing 1 further comprises a supporting member 12 for fixing the outercasing 1 to the main body. In this way, the outer casing 1 can be fixedto the main body by the supporting member 12.

In order to simplify the structure of the damping device, the fixedmember 11 of the outer casing 1 and the supporting member 12 of theouter casing 1 can be designed into a one-piece configuration. This notonly simplifies the structure of the damping device, but also saves thespace occupied by the damping device.

In the damping device of the present disclosure, the deformationcorresponding to the damping friction between the friction member andthe elastic piece matches the buffer force corresponding to the dampingfriction. Specifically, the greater the deformation corresponding to thedamping friction between the friction member and the elastic piece is,the greater the buffer force generated by the damping friction is, andvice versa.

In the damping device of the present disclosure, in order to increasethe buffer force generated by damping friction between the frictionmember and the elastic piece, the friction member of the inner core 2 isdesigned as a bump protruding from the outer surface of the inner core2. In practice, a plurality of bumps may be arranged on the outersurface of the inner core 2 in a symmetrical and uniform manner.

The inner core 2 is fixed on the cover body by means of the hinge shaft,and has a D-shaped hole matched with the shape of the hinge shaft. Inthis way, the inner core 2 is fitted with the hinge shaft for movement,and moves synchronously with the cover body during the opening orclosing of the cover body.

In order to firmly arrange the inner core 2 in the cavity of the fixedmember 11, the openings at both open ends of the outer casing 1 areprovided with an end cap 3.

As shown in FIG. 15, the fixed member 11 has a first end face and asecond end face opposite to each other, and the cavity is formed in thefixed member 11 and runs through the first end face and the second endface. The inner core 2 is arranged in the cavity. The inner core 2, inaddition to being arranged in the cavity, can be extended out of thecavity slightly. The end cap 3 comprises a first end cap and a secondend cap, wherein the shape of the first end cap matches the shape of thefirst end face, and the shape of the second end cap matches the shape ofthe second end face.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the structure of the outer casing in thedamping device of the present disclosure, where the reference numeral 1represents the outer casing. FIG. 16 is only intended to show thestructure of the outer casing 1 more clearly. The detailed illustrationof the outer casing refers to the depiction of FIG. 15 and will not berepeated here.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of the structure of the end cap in thedamping device of the present disclosure, where the reference numeral 3represents the end cap. FIG. 18 is only intended to show the structureof the end cap more clearly. The detailed illustration of the end caprefers to the depiction of FIG. 15 and will not be repeated here.

FIG. 18 shows another structure in the damping device of the presentdisclosure, where the reference numeral 1 represents the outer casing.FIG. 18 is only intended to show the structure of the outer casing moreclearly. The detailed illustration of the outer casing refers to thedepiction of FIG. 15 and will not be repeated here.

According to the technical solution of the present disclosure, thedamping device is arranged between the cover body and the main body andcomprises an inner core 2 an outer side wall of which is provided with afriction member, and an outer casing 1 which comprises a fixed member11. An elastic piece is arranged on the inner wall of the fixed member11 to bring the friction member into contact with the elastic piece togenerate damping friction. The fixed member 11 has a cavity havingopenings at two ends so as to arrange the inner core 2 therein. Thefixed member 11 has a square outer contour. In this way, due to thesquare shape of the outer contour of the fixed member 11 of the outercasing 1, the area of the outer casing 1 is increased. Because of theincrease in the area, the outer casing 1 of the damping device will haveincreased strength and will be less likely to be damaged. At themeantime, the service life of the damping device is increased.

Further, according to the technical solution of the present application,a notch 13 is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the fixed member 11at a position corresponding to the elastic piece. The position of theinner wall of the fixed member 11 abutting against the elastic piece hasan arc structure that is at the position of the notch 13. Thisfacilitates the contact between the friction member of the inner core 2and the elastic piece of the fixed member 11, and creates dampingfriction due to the contact so as to generate a buffer force forsmoothly opening the cover body of the cooker.

Further, according to the technical solution of the present application,the outer casing 1 further comprises a supporting member 12 for fixingthe outer casing 1 to the main body. In this way, the outer casing 1 canbe fixed to the main body by the supporting member 12.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a cooker is alsoprovided, which comprises the damping device described above. The cookerof the present disclosure also comprises a cooking body and a lid fixedto the cooking body. The lid is fixed to the cooking body by means of ahinge shaft to which the inner core 2 is fixed, wherein the hinge shaftis D-shaped.

Because the damping device is arranged between the cooking body and thelid of the cooker and the strength of the outer casing 1 in the dampingdevice is increased, the outer casing 1 is less likely to be damaged,and meanwhile, the service life of the damping device is increased.Therefore, the service life of the cooker is also increased.

Moreover, as the damping device of the present disclosure is arrangedbetween the cooking body and the lid of the cooker, a notch 13 is formedon the outer peripheral wall of the fixed member 11 at a positioncorresponding to the elastic piece. The position of the inner wall ofthe fixed member 11 abutting against the elastic piece has an arcstructure that is at the position of the notch 13. The arrangement ofthe notch 13 facilitates the contact between the friction member of theinner core 2 and the elastic piece of the fixed member 11, therebycreating damping friction due to the contact to generate a buffer forcefor smoothly opening or closing the cover body. Therefore, it ispossible to decrease the problems in the lid of existing cookers, suchas non-full-opening or jumping open, thus improving user experience.

In view of the above, it is easy for those skilled in the art tounderstand that the above preferred embodiments can be freely combinedand superimposed in the case where there are no conflicts.

The above description only concerns the embodiments of the presentdisclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Variousmodifications and variations can be made to the present disclosure bythose skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions,improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the presentdisclosure shall be encompassed within the scope defined by the claimsof the present disclosure.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration anddescription and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications andvariations are possible in light of the above teaching.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain theprinciples of the invention and their practical application so as toactivate others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosurepertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, thescope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims ratherthan the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments describedtherein.

1. A damping device, arranged between a main body and a cover body,comprising: a rotary member fixed on the cover body; a fixed memberfixed on the main body, the fixed member being a hollow body havingopenings at two ends, the rotary member being nested in the hollow body,one of the rotary member and an inner side wall of the hollow body beingprovided with a friction member, the other one being provided with anelastic piece; during the process of opening the cover body, the elasticpiece is slidably fitted with the friction member and generates varyingfrictional resistance during sliding. 2-5. (canceled)
 6. The dampingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the rotary member is fixed on thecover body by means of a hinge shaft, and is provided with anon-circular hole matched with the shape of the hinge shaft. 7-8.(canceled)
 9. A cooker, comprising a cooking body and a lid hinged ontothe cooking body, wherein the damping device according to claim 1 isarranged between the cooking body and the lid.
 10. The cooker accordingto claim 9, wherein the lid is hinged onto the cooking body by means ofa hinge shaft onto which the rotary member is fixed. 11-12. (canceled)13. A device having a damping structure, comprising a damping structure,and a first body and a second body rotatably connected by means of arotary shaft and provided with a torsion spring therebetween; thedamping structure comprises an outer casing and an inner core nested inthe outer casing, one of the inner wall of the outer casing and theouter wall of the inner core being provided with a protrusion and theother one being provided with an elastic piece, a first end of theelastic piece being fixedly connected to the inner wall of the outercasing or the outer wall of the inner core, and a second end thereofbeing arranged in a suspended manner; the first body is fixed with theouter casing or the inner core, and the second body being rotatablerelative to the outer casing by driving the inner core with the rotaryshaft; during at least part of the opening process of the second bodyrelative to the first body, the protrusion extrudes the elastic pieceand rotates in a direction from the second end of the elastic piece tothe first end of the elastic piece.
 14. The device having a dampingstructure according to claim 13, wherein the protrusion does not reachthe first end of the elastic piece when the second body is completelyopened relative to the first body. 15-18. (canceled)
 19. The devicehaving a damping structure according claim 13, wherein the outer casingcomprises a casing main body that has an open end and is hollow, and anend cap that is arranged at the open end of the casing main body, apositioning stud being arranged at least at one of the bottom surface ofthe casing main body and the inner wall surface of the end cap, and theinner core being sleeved on the positioning stud after installation. 20.The device having a damping structure according to claim 13, wherein theinner core is provided with first through-holes along its heightdirection, and second through-holes are disposed in two ends of theouter casing respectively in positions corresponding to the firstthrough-holes, the first through-holes and the second through-holesserving for passage of a shaft, and the inner core and the shaft beingnot able to rotate relatively. 21-22. (canceled)
 23. A damping device,arranged between a cover body and a main body, comprising an inner coreand an outer casing, an outer side wall of inner core being providedwith a friction member, and the outer casing comprising a fixed memberand a supporting member; the inner wall of the fixed member is providedwith an elastic piece so that the friction member can be brought intocontact with the elastic piece to create damping friction; thesupporting member is arranged on an outer periphery of the fixed memberand comprises a first cantilever extending in a first direction from anouter peripheral wall of the fixed member and a second cantileverextending in a second direction from the outer peripheral wall of thefixed member. 24-26. (canceled)
 27. The damping device according toclaim 23, wherein a deformation corresponding to the damping frictionbetween the friction member and the elastic piece matches a buffer forcecorresponding to the damping friction. 28-30. (canceled)
 31. A cooker,comprising the damping device according to claim
 23. 32. The cookeraccording to claim 31, wherein the cooker further comprises a cookingbody and a lid fixed thereto, wherein the lid is fixed to the cookingbody by means of a hinge shaft to which the inner core is fixed. 33.(canceled)
 34. The cooker according to claim 32, wherein the cookingbody is also provided with at least two limiting ribs, and thesupporting member can be inserted into a cavity formed by adjacentlimiting ribs to limit the supporting member.
 35. The cooker accordingto claim 34, wherein the limiting ribs have a shape that matches theshape of the supporting member, so that the supporting member can beinserted into the cavity formed by the adjacent limiting ribs, and/or,the limiting ribs have a size that matches the size of the supportingmember, so that the supporting member can be inserted into the cavityformed by the adjacent limiting ribs.
 36. A damping device, comprising ahousing and an inner core which is rotatably arranged in the housing; alimiting portion is also arranged in the housing for limiting themovement of the inner core.
 37. (canceled)
 38. The damping deviceaccording to claim 36, wherein the housing is provided with a dampingstructure therein on which the limiting portion is arranged. 39-44.(canceled)
 45. The damping device according to claim 36, wherein a dodgestructure is arranged at a position of the inner wall of the housingcorresponding to the damping structure, and the dodge structure providesspace for deformation of the damping structure. 46-47. (canceled)
 48. Acooker comprising a cooking body and a lid which are rotatably connectedby means of a hinge shaft, wherein the cooker further comprises thedamping device claim 36 for providing damping to the rotation of thecover body relative to the cooking body.
 49. A damping device, arrangedbetween a main body and a cover body, comprising an inner core and anouter casing, an outer side wall of the inner core being provided with afriction member, the outer casing comprising a fixed member on an innerwall of which an elastic piece is provided so that the friction membercan be brought into contact with the elastic piece to create dampingfriction, the fixed member being provided with a cavity having openingsat two ends so as to arrange the inner core in the cavity of the fixedmember, the fixed member having a square-shaped outer contour.
 50. Thedamping device according to claim 49, wherein a notch is formed on anouter peripheral wall of the fixed member at a position corresponding tothe elastic piece; the position of the inner wall of the fixed memberabutting against the elastic piece has an arc structure which is at theposition of the notch. 51-52. (canceled)
 53. The damping deviceaccording to claim 49, wherein a deformation corresponding to thedamping friction between the friction member and the elastic piecematches a buffer force corresponding to the damping friction. 54-58.(canceled)
 59. A cooker, comprising the damping device according toclaim
 49. 60. The cooker according to claim 59, wherein the cookerfurther comprises a cooking body and a lid fixed on the cooking body,wherein the lid is fixed on the cooking body by means of a hinge shaftto which the inner core is fixed.
 61. (canceled)